Panduranga - 2

Friday, August 17, 2012



       Radhekrishna! In the last issue we saw that for the sake of his bhaktha, Pundalika, Bhagavan stayed in Pandarpur in all His ‘sowlabhya’ meaning simplicity. Anybody who goes there can go near Him and touch. The place where the Lord asked the gopas to wait is now known as Gopalpuri now.
We can enjoy Panduranga with all our five senses in Pandarpur. We can see Him, we can hear Him everywhere around, we can taste Him in the form of prasadam, we can smell Him in the flowers offered to Him, and we can touch Him with our hands too. The only place where we can enjoy the Lord by touch! His form is very much bewitching for the eyes.
        His lotus feet seem as if pearls and corals are set around the fingers. The ankles are beautiful with the golden anklets. The golden peetambara slightly covers the knee and below. Both His hands are kept on the hip. Some say that His peetambaram has loosened and He is holding it with both His hands! The wide chest is decorated with a variety of gold and diamond chains. Tulasi and other garlands also rest over there in pride. He has a beautiful slender neck. The lips give out a secret smile. The nose is very long. The lotus eyes look half closed, half open. The forehead is adorned with a wide gopi tilak which looks inverted.  The golden crown spreads great luster around. Whoever sets his eye on Him will fall in love at the first sight itself. Such a fascinating deity!
      Once a Brahmin from Paithan was very much devoted to Panduranga. He always kept changing the name of Panduranga. He once wanted to conduct a yaga. The sasthras say that a Brahmin should conduct yagas.  This Brahmin roamed around to collect money for the yaga. He reached Vidyaranyanagaram. He approached the king of the place and asked for help. The king enquired the Brahmin about Pandaripuram. The Brahmin was very happy to talk about his Lord. With closed eyes he told the king that Panduranga is a powerful deity. He has a golden crown with gems studded.  The cow Kamadhenu is giving milk for the Lord. All the thirty three crores devas are doing service (kainkaryam) there. The temple pillars are made of pure gold. The flooring is of coral. The doors are made of prescious pearls etc etc. The houses in the street resemble palaces. It is almost like Vaikunta only. There is no sorrow, hunger or pain.
        The king laughed and said he couldn’t believe a word of what the Brahmin was telling. He said the golden pillars, coral flooring, pearl doors, golden peeta, palace like houses etc etc., were all his imagination only and it can never be true. The Brahmin made a promise that what he said was all true. He was prepared to show the king the truth now itself. So the king and the Brahmin started for Pandarpur immediately. Nearing the town the king teased the Brahmin again telling him if he cannot show the golden temple and palaces he will be beheaded. The Brahmin silently prayed to Lord Panduranga. “Oh Lord you, as antharyami have showed me the golden city of Pandarpur and prompted me to tell about it. Now it is your duty to prove it.”  The king believed that there is no chance of such a place to be present in the earth.
       They neared the Chandrabhaga. The king enquired the Brahmin how far they had to go yet. The Brahmin said that they have neared. The king got down from the chariot and looked forward. He was stunned by what he saw. The city was bright like the sun even from a distance. It was shining with a blinding luster. As he neared he could see the palaces made of gold. He could see the coral streets also. There was no need for sunrise at all. He couldn’t take off his eyes. All around it was full of divinity. The chanting of nama filled the atmosphere. As he neared the temple he could see what the Brahmin told was true. In the golden temple he saw the Lord Vital smiling mischievously at him. The king cried out aloud ‘Vital’! The brahmin’s implicit faith showed the king the true form of the place.
Next moment everything became very normal. It was an ordinary river with villagers bathing their cows in it. The streets were strewn with cowdung and other junks. The king realised that it was the greatness of the Brahmin that gave this great vision. He realised the power of Pandarinath. He fell down on the feet of the Brahmin.Without this guru could he have dreamt of seeing the glorious Pandarpur?!?! Radhekrishna!

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